Eventually
by Aleah
Summary: Following the last scene in 3x20, Jake and Peyton have the conversation that fully secures their plans. Fluffy oneshot, written for FallAway's birthday.


**Title: **Eventually  
**Author:** Aleah  
**Rating:** PG  
**Spoilers:** Everything that's happened on the show up to this point.  
**Summary:** Following the last scene in 3x20, Jake and Peyton have the conversation that fully secures their plans. It's pretty much fluff.  
**Author's Note:** As you can see, this is my first story in over a year. I'm not saying "be gentle in reviews" or anything, but if for some reason you can't stand the idea of Jake and Peyton together, please hit the back button now. Written for the birthday of Sam (FallAway), even though it's two weeks from now -- she gave me my birthday fic early, so, yeah. Hehe.

* * *

"Do you want to get married?" The words hang in the air, and for a split second Peyton regrets letting them slip past her lips. But she knows it's too late to take them back, so she just anxiously awaits his reply.

It takes a few more moments for him to register what she's just said, and when he does he asks "Do you mean that?"

Having watched the 'saga of Nathan and Haley', she knows how serious a subject this is, so she looks inward, hoping to determine if she really wants to get married or if her question was only a last desperate attempt to avoid going back to Tree Hill.

Finally, she comes to a conclusion and she meets his eyes again. "I love you," she begins slowly, "and whenever you're gone Tree Hill isn't the same. This time it's been worse than the first time. I almost died, and I still have to go to that school every day, and it's _hard_." The last word is almost a whisper, but she forces herself to continue. "And my dad is suddenly back and acting like a parent when I'm too old to need one anymore, and it seems like everyone in our group is pairing up like the animals on Noah's Ark, only I'm alone because you're the only one I really want.

"So, I'm not sure if I actually want to get married, but I don't want to be without you ever again," she states, her voice firm and confident on this point. She holds her breath and waits for his response.

After what seems like forever, he sighs. "We can't get married, Peyton."

She feels her face fall. "Why not?" she has to ask.

"Well, for one thing, I'm not even eighteen yet," he tells her, a small smile appearing on his face. "And I really don't think you should drop out of high school. The judge made me re-enroll here, and I have to be a junior again, and I can't play basketball, and I barely make enough money at work to support myself and Jenny."

"I could get a job too," she starts to protest, but he cuts her off.

"You only have a couple of months left until you graduate." His words are hard for her to listen to, but she can tell they're equally hard for him to say, so she doesn't interrupt him again. He continues, "I know you think that getting married will solve our distance problem, but I don't think you should drop out, and besides, do you really think leaving Brooke alone in your house with your dad is a good idea?" He stops and looks at her expectantly.

She lowers her eyes, embarrassed that she didn't even think of that. "Well, no, but…" She takes a deep breath. "I just don't want to go back there. Maybe I could transfer to your high school."

"For two months? I don't think it's worth the hassle," he says, and frustration begins to bubble up inside of her.

"If you don't want to be with me, Jake, just say so," she says, rising from the small raised platform they've both been sitting on.

"That's not it at all," he objects, standing up as well. He bends down and places his guitar on his former seat before elaborating. "We've been apart for almost a year now, I don't see why two more months is such a big deal."

"It's a big deal because my life is worse without you. That's all I need to know." She's aware that they've been having different variations of this same conversation all weekend, but they're trying to work out what may be their entire futures and they're running out of time in which to make this decision. "Don't you feel the same way?"

"Yeah, I do, but I think we should wait until you've graduated. You could apply to the Savannah College of Art and Design, I know they'd accept you even on such short notice, and you could live here, and in a few years once we have enough money saved up, we can get married." He stops there and waits for her reaction, but she stays silent when she sees the anxious look on his face, unsure of what to say. She doesn't want to leave, but it will be a pointless act if he's resistant to the idea of her moving in with him before the summer.

After a while, he wraps his arms around her, and she leans against him. Then he breaks the silence. "It's not that I don't want you here," he says softly, "and if this is something you really want to do, then we can do it. I just think there are other, better options."

"I know," she murmurs, wrapping her arms around his waist. She leans back and looks him in the eyes. "Now that I have you back...I'm afraid if I let you go, even for a little while, you'll disappear from my life again. I know it's crazy and irrational, but I can't help it. You've already left me twice, and I couldn't handle it happening a third time."

He smiles reassuringly and strokes her hair. "I promise I'm not going anywhere. I'll call you as many times as my budget allows, and we can email each other every day, and after you graduate I'll buy your bus ticket myself."

"Okay," she replies, grinning at him. "I'm going to hold you to that, you know."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." He tilts his head forward slightly so that their foreheads are touching. "So is that plan okay with you?"

"Yes, it is," she tells him, relieved. "I guess asking you if you wanted to get married was a stupid question, huh?"

He narrows his eyes. "Not so fast. I think I'm going to be offended if that doesn't happen eventually."

She throws her head back and laughs, then returns it to its previous position, pressed against his. "Then we're on the same page," she says in an exhilarated breath.

Their lips meet, and all is right with the world, at least for now.


End file.
